Batman: A New Day
by Yuee12
Summary: The Joker is back. Batman, Batgirl and Nightwing must stop him to save Gotham!
1. Chapter 1

"Everything is ready," Batgirl heard one of the Joker's henchmen say.

"Perfect! We don't want our dear bat to miss all the fun. Right, Batman?

Barbara's look met Dick's. The latter frowned and nodded under his mask. The young Gordon took a breath and closed her eyes for a moment. Everything was going as perfect as Bruce had predicted. He always was one step ahead. That is how they had been able to keep Gotham safe so far.

It had not been a long time for Barbara. She had adopter her alter ego two years ago when his father, Commissioner Gordon, had almost been killed by corrupted policemen. He had been grievously wounded at Arkham Asylum, the place where Batman had locked up the Joker. Then, the Joker had tried to take control of the asylum. Unfortunately, the current situation was not that different.

"Calm down, Barbara," said Dick Grayson from the other side of the call. Barbara put two of her fingers on her helmet, right where the microphone hid, and disconnected it. When she opened her eyes, she understood how Dick looked at her. She knew Bruce would not approve her behaviour, either. Barbara did not mean to deceive any of them, but now she needed to be entirely focused on what they had in their hands.

She tightened her fists while the Joker's voice sounded in her head. Nevertheless, it didn't come from the man who stood under her feet in front of Bruce, laughing like a madman. She was recalling the day she had met the Joker for the first time.

Batman had taken her to Arkham so they could get some information from the Joker. Harvey Dent had been brutally aggressed and had fallen into madness. Today he was known as Two-Face and one of the most influent criminals in the city. Bruce suspected that the Joker had been behind everything that had happened to the District Attorney, who had been close to become the new mayor of Gotham.

"Me? I was right here." That is all the Joker had answered as he kept on laughing.

This happened a few months ago. Nor the police, nor the vigilantes had found out what the Joker had planned. Now they had a more concrete idea: a toxin that would exterminate Gotham's population and bring chaos to the city. Bruce had expected more and trusted that they would end this very night, but there was something that did not convince Barbara and she felt to be the only one to feel insecure.

"That's because you haven't gotten used to this life," Dick had said, trying to put a smile on her face. Barbara was used to smile to her jokes, but it was never sincere.

They had to act now.

"What about Dent? What about your master plan?" Bruce asked as he raised his eyes under his mask.

"What's the fun about revealing everything so easily?"

"Mister J. is right, Batman. You better shut up!"

That acute and insufferable voice was Harley Quinn's. Barbara hated her. She saw how she raised the mallet she always carried along and how she hit Batman on the stomach, making him stoop and let out a moan of pain. Dick and Barbara knew how prepared he was to support pain, and thus how difficult it would be to submit him. They also imagined this was not the villains' intentions. They were not so naïve.

Batman straightened, gagged and knelt before his enemies. He lifted his gaze once more.

"What is all this about?" he asked to the Joker.

"All the medias already know, Batman. That is why you are here! We want to reveal your real identity to Gotham City."

"The toxin, Ace Chemicals, Dent… This is bigger than you're letting me know. I doubt you really want to reveal who I am."

"Oh, and why is that so?"

Batman didn't reply. Nightwing took advantage of the moment to answer the call he received. Batgirl could not listen to what he was saying, but as Dick got up and looked at her, she understood it was James Gordon. It was time to act. They probably had the whole building surrounded and there was no way to get out. The Joker, Harley Quinn and all their henchmen had a little problem.

_Look at her. A few months ago, Harleen Quinzel was ordinary," _Barbara told herself as she observed the blonde. She wore leather that tightened her feminine attributes, just like the suit of a newcomer to Gotham City she had met a couple of days ago. That woman had carved her name in the news, barely in a week. Even Bruce worried about her. Why?

"Good. Free the toxin!" Harley Quinn exclaimed.

"Wait? No, wait. Joker, you said that…"

"You said a lot of things, too, my old friend! "I will protect this city no matter what. I won't let your dirty hands taint it. You will never kill an innocent person, ever again." Do you know how many times you have repeated these hoaxes? Eureka, genie! I don't want to uncover your identity to Gotham. What exactly would be fun if I knew who you are? Our relationship goes beyond that! Just like my relationship with Harley. Did we tell you that we want to get married once Gotham will be outcasted by chaos?

"Who gave the toxin to you?"

"Our dear friend, Scarecrow. You doubted it?"

"Where is him?"

"You worry about the whereabouts of that knave? Come on, Batman, focus! I'm about to pulverize Gotham with the toxin. Many people will die tonight!

Barbara swallowed. Bruce did not believe him and saw something beyond the simple plan of annihilating the whole population of Gotham. As for her, she blindly trusted Bruce. She knew how marvellous his detective skills were.

She always looked at him with a wide smile on her face, feeling she could start drooling any time. She loved the way he always knelt in a crime scene as he looked for answers. He always would find the truth.

She saw Nightwing moving and jumping forward. Then, she followed him.

The two shadows fell on the malefactors who surrounded Batman. Batgirl got holf of a batarang to free Batman, who immediately stood up and pounced on the Joker and Harley Quinn. Nightwing engaged in a fight with the criminals on his right, while Batgirl tightened her fists again and focused on those who were armed.

_Three of them_, she thought as she threw the batarang at one of them. It opened a cut on his hand, making him drop his shotgun. She crouched just in time to dodge a bullet and made the second man trip just before she jumped on the third to disarm him. She struggled until she raised her knee and hit his manhood.

The other two men were already surrounding her. Batgirl put her hand on her belt and extracted her claw, pointing at the leg of one of them. Blood tainted her dark clothes. She pulled her gun to approach the man. He was heavy, but she was strong. Her boot hit the man's jaw, making him lose some teeth and breaking his nose meanwhile. Having landed by flexing her legs, Batgirl raised one behind her. She was elastic and expert on a lot of martial arts. Therefore, that kind of move was not hard for her. It took a few more blows to knock the remaining criminal down.

She did not stop here, though. Batgirl raised her fists as soon as she placed herself on top of the man and hit repeatedly his face. She felt her rage take control of her: her hands opened cuts and blood decorated her knuckles. She wanted more, needed more! The man was suffering in her hands, yes, but it was for a greater good…

"Using weapons… is… inhuman!" Barbara could hardly exclaim, but she kept on hitting. Her strength rather seemed to increase. The man had already stopped hurling and did not even try to defend himself. She could feel him vibrate a bit, as if she was about to die, but she skipped this detail. She wanted to kill him.

Suddenly, a hand on her wrist stopped her. Barbara turned her face to look at the man with frustration. At first, she supposed it was Dick, but she found out that, in truth, the man was Batman. Bruce observed her with harshness under his mask. She knew that expression.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"He deserves it, Bruce! Weapons…"

"When did I teach you to give in to wrath?"

_Never_, Barbara thought to herself as she got away from Batman's grip. Unfortunately, she had gotten that temperament from Nightwing.

"Nightwing, come here." The boy obeyed. Batman gave him a sample of the toxin he had extracted from the original flask. He had taken it from the Joker and Harley Quinn, who were lying on the floor. "Take it to the batcave and analyse its provenance. I want to know what's inside it, where do the ingredients come from… Everything."

Dick nodded, kept the sample and looked Barbara for a moment. The young girl simply turned her face and crossed her arms. Sighing, Nightwing left.

An uncomfortable silence. Batman was still observing her, as if he hoped Batgirl would say something. Alienated, she turned to watch him.

"You want me to apologize?"

"I want you to improve. You're not like that. None of us is."

"Maybe you're wrong."

Bruce sighed and squeezed his eyes. Then, he approached Barbara and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I would have never accepted you as partner if I thought you didn't deserve it. Maybe you're going through a complicated time or maybe you still have a lot to learn. I can't focus on protecting Gotham City from the Joker if I must protect it from you, Batgirl. Someday, I won't be here, and it will be your turn to keep on working… or to leave this alternative identity and live out peacefully your days in a safer Gotham. Do you understand?"

Barbara was looking him right in his eyes. They were blue, just like the brightest sky. She opened her lips, as if she wanted to say something, but was not capable of doing it. She felt her body trembling and her heart beating insistently. _Bruce_…

"We will fight together. Always," she said in the end.

"Then, start behaving like Batgirl and not like one of those animals."

The police entered Ace Chemicals at that precise moment. They arrested every criminal and took Harley Quinn and the Joker, who had not stopped laughing. James Gordon approached Batman and Batgirl. Barbara looked at his father with tears in her eyes. He felt much better now than few months ago, of course, but… She did not want this life for him. That was one of the reasons she fought for: so she could make his job safer.

"Do we know anything else?" Gordon asked.

"Nothing. They knew we were coming. It has been to easy," Batman replied.

"When don't they?" James lit a cigarette. "Only God knows what they truly know."

"Do you know smoking kills, Commissioner?" Batgirl asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I wonder if as much as you do. I saw you fighting, girl, and I hope you understand that…"

"Concern about your men, Jim. I will care about my partners." Batman looked at him with the same harshness he had expressed before. Why did he defend her?

"Even if you want the best for this city, I can't allow you to overdo this. Citizens will lose hope if you kill criminals. You know what we're playing at, Batman: we must be better than this scum."

"I need you to locate Scarecrow. Keep the Joker in a cell at the GCPD. We will meet there in one hour."

James Gordon nodded, threw his cigarette and walked on it. Then, he hurled a few orders and walked away, leaving some of his men deal with the situation. They were sealing the place when Batman and Batgirl disappeared.

"Bruce," pronounced Barbara while they ran to get out of Ace Chemicals. "What do you think the Joker has planned?"

"Nothing good, Barbara. Don't worry: your father and you will be safe while I am alive. You have my word."

_I know, Bruce. That's what I like about you…_

They headed to the batcave. They needed answers.


	2. Chapter 2

The batcave was a very dark place. There were special platforms for the batmobile and the batwing, which were separated in diverse spaces. Batgirl had known this place for a lot of time, but every time she entered the batcave, she felt as if it was the first. The couples of ladders were not big enough to frighten her. What always surprised her were the black colours that Bruce had chosen for this place; the many corners in which he trained, worked on his armour and equipment (even though Lucius Fox took care of most of it now) and investigated on his computer.

"Haven't you thought about upgrading the place?" Barbara asked, hiding a smile.

"I don't think the term _upgrade_ is what you mean. If a nuclear bomb exploded, the batcave would be the safest place in the United States."

"You're right. How about remodelling, then?"

"I don't have time to lose with that. The batcave is literally a cave. Alfred and I just needed a place where to hide all this stuff. We were lucky to find one under my mansion."

Barbara sighed and nodded. They approached the batcomputer, in front of which Bruce sat down. She stood next to him, crossing her arms and looking at the immense screen. She had always been good with technology. Maybe not as much as Lucius Fox, but she had been helpful to Batman for a couple of times already.

"Where is…?"

"Bruce." Nigthwing walked to them and smiled at Barbara. "The Joker was right. Scarecrow designed this toxin. It looks as many others he had created before. Thankfully, we have always been able to stop him."

"This time should be no different, then," Barbara said as she tightened her right fist.

"Don't take Scarecrow too lightly, nor the Joker. They are both dangerous men, if they can still be considered as such."

"If they couldn't, you would have already killed them," Dick observed.

"You're right," Batman said as he tapped on the batcomputer. "Hand me the toxin. I want to check something."

Dick obeyed and gave him the sample. Barbara raised her eyes to the screen right when Grayson placed himself at her side. She did not enjoy closeness with him. They were mates and partners, but Barbara knew that Dick felt something for her. She had noticed it since the first glance they had shared. Of course, she had to admit that he was quite handsome, but that did not mean that she wanted any kind of romantic relationship with him. Her eyes were placed on another person.

"Are you listening to me, Barb?"

"Huh?" She had been too lost in her own thoughts. Bruce was looking at her, waiting for a reply. Then she digested his words. "I mean, no! If my father had found a clue about the toxin or where it is fabricated, he would have told me or shared it with you. I know my father, Bruce. He's loyal to you."

"I know him well, too. That is why I thought he could be hiding it to protect his family." Bruce put his hand on his jaw. "If he doesn't know where Scarecrow got this medical supplies from…"

"Logically, he should have got them from the Gotham Hospital, right?"

"Yes," Barbara said. "We even know Harley Quinn could have handed him them because they work now together. But that would mean that…"

"If Harley was the one to supply Scarecrow with the ingredients of his toxin, that means they have been preparing this for a long time. That means also that this must be something big. Very big."

"We have to find Scarecrow." Nightwing frowned and looked at Bruce. "I can do it. I can take him down if I have to, too."

"Are you asking me for permission?"

"Of course not." Dick laughed. "I'm just trying to relieve you."

"Very well. Go on, then. Contact me as soon as you find out anything."

"What about us?" Barbara asked as Nightwing departed.

"You and I are going to visit the Joker. I don't like leaving him alone with your father at the GCPD."

"Master Bruce." Alfred's voice came from the elevator, which was now open. "Won't you stay for a coffee?"

"No, Alfred. We must leave at…"

"Then I suppose you will ask me to have Miss Kyle dismissed?"

"No need to rush me out, Alfred. I can take care of myself alone."

The voice came from the ceiling, if the rocks on their heads could be called as such. The three of them raised their eyes and met a beautiful silhouette dressed in black leather. Her face was not hidden under a mask. Kyle wore a sort of helmet which did not seem as hard as Batman's.

"Wait, isn't that Catwoman?"

Barbara opened her mouth, shocked. Kyle laughed and jumped in front of them. She looked at Batgirl and studied her. Barbara felt naked and vulnerable. What was really freaking her out was seeing that Bruce wasn't even surprised to have a stranger in the cave. Was she a stranger, actually?

"Selina," he said.

_So he knows her!_ Barbara thought to herself.

"Who is your friend, Bruce? A new girlfriend, perhaps?"

"I'm Barb…"

"She's no one." Bruce passed across the two women as Alfred smiled and started rearranging the place. "What are you doing here?"

"I need you to return me the favour."

"What favour, Bruce?" Barbara asked.

"None of your business. We're leaving at once."

"No, you're not!" Selina blocked the path.

"Selina, not now. Gotham depends on us."

"I don't care about the city. I care about my reward."

"OK, will the two of you tell me what happened?"

Selina looked at Batgirl and then back at Batman. She started laughing, as if someone had said something funny. Batman sighed, clearly frustrated. He always was worried and in a hurry. Barbara had asked him a few times to calm down and take things less seriously, but it had always upset Bruce. He only thought about his job, his "holy crusade".

"Your friend apprehended me a few days ago. After having some dirty talk," Selina smiled as she noticed how Batgirl's expression hardened, "he asked me to hand him to the Joker. The clown has been paying me for a while. I came to Gotham City because I expected to find something, but for that I needed money."

"I thought the Joker caught you willingly," Barbara said as she looked at Bruce.

"He did," Bruce replied.

"You could have told us."

"I didn't want you to know because that would put the operation at risk. I hoped the Joker would not find out that he was going to fall into a trap, but he must have understood it or…" He looked inquisitively at Selina.

"Hey, I didn't sell you out. I'm always on the winner's side, Bats."

"That's exactly what worries me."

"Anyway, what about my reward?"

"What did you promise her?" Barbara asked.

"He told me he'd help me find what I was looking for."

"I know what I told you, Selina, but I can't fulfil my promise now. You will have to wait."

"I've waited many years for this, Bruce. I can't…"

"Help us and we will give what you want tonight," Barbara stated.

"Batgirl…"

"I have already helped the both of you, little girl."

"I'm not a…"

"I think Batgirl is right," Alfred said as he suddenly appeared. "If you help them, you might get what you want sooner."

"Are you kidding me?"

"I'm just sharing my opinion with you, Miss Kyle."

"Alfred is right." Bruce nodded. "If you come with us, you could get what you seek in the way. I believe we will visit the place soon enough."

"What place?" Barbara asked.

Selina sighed and thought about it. She was not convinced about the idea. She would prefer stealing rather than helping a vigilante protecting the city he was born to. She had nothing to do with that conflict. Nevertheless, Batman could truly help her get what she wanted, what she had always craved for. She supposed that it was reason enough to risk her life. She needed that sample…

"Well, lead the way, then."

"Really? That's it? You complain a lot and then…?"

"I didn't ask you to question my reasons, little girl. This is your last chance to keep your promise. Otherwise you will have a tough woman to fight."

"Deal."

For Bruce, that was enough.

[…]

The Gotham City Police Department was far away from Wayne Manor. Bruce drove the batmovile while Batgirl and Catwoman sat in its back. They could see absolutely everything outside the car, and their belts avoided them from crushing themselves on the windows.

They entered the police's building by the garage, where Bruce stationed. The site was well armoured and protected. There were a few policemen sharing words and drinking coffee. When they saw the two vigilantes and the criminal walking at their side, they straightened and moved their hands at their temple. Batman, Batgirl and Catwoman ignored them.

Gordon received them soon enough. He looked at Selina and raised an eyebrow, but he did not say a single thing in front of her. Batgirl had to walk behind her father and her master, far enough not to listen to what they were talking about. Selina took advantage of that moment to laugh and mock her.

"I would like to see you fight. I bet I could beat you."

"I'm not so sure about that," Batgirl replied.

"You aren't intimidating. Many may think that you couldn't hurt a fly."

_You don't know how wrong you are, Selina Kyle_, Barbara thought as she smiled this time. She was the one holding an advantage. If Catwoman wanted to underestimate her, she would face an ugly surprise.

"Right, what now?" Gordon asked. He was upset.

"Now, we will interrogate the Joker. We need to locate Scarecrow and his toxin."

"I don't like this, Batman. I will let you and your new friend take care of the matter."

"Send your men to the hospital. I want it surrounded at any means."

"The hospital? Why…?"

"Just do it."

Gordon sighed, but he eventually resigned and headed back to the headquarters.

"The hospital? That's where I need you to get my…"

"Don't worry, Selina. I won't betray your trust as long as you don't betray ours."

_I don't like her at all_, Barbara thought.

"Well, let's get this over with."

Batman opened the interrogation room where the police held the Joker.

"What in…?"

Two dead policemen.

The Joker was gone.


End file.
